July 28, 2015 edition
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Sidelines
Three Letters
Diplomatic Bag
Indonesia Hosts Regional UN Peacekeeping Meeting
Sidelines
Three characters appear six times in the Qur'an, Alif, Lam, Mimand people wonder what they mean.
No one knows. Various interpretations come and go. Some say that the shape of the three characters symbolizes the path of human life. Others read them as part of God's 'mathematics' with numbers.
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Interview
Excuse me while I go and pray," said Bambang Suryo, in the middle of an interview with Tempo last week. It was the third meeting and took place in Surabaya, while the first happened in Jakarta four weeks ago and the second inside a car, enroute to the home of Bambang's friend in Central Jakarta.
Bambang claims to have been getting threats ever since he confessed to rigging game scores of the Indonesia League competition. He admits that these days, he has become more religious, saying a small prayer before eating and driving his car. "I need to feel safe," said Bambang. For a while, he hid his real identity, calling himself Mr. X or BS, to protect his family.
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Diplomatic Bag
Indonesia will host the Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting on Peacekeeping in Jakarta on July 27-28, where it will lobby regional governments to boost their contributions to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force. Andy Rachmianto, the Director of International Security and Disarmament at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said there was a need for UN countries to deploy more peacekeeping forces to conflict areas.
"That's why we are holding this meeting. Peacekeeping missions from the UN are facing complex, multidimensional challenges," Andy announced at the Foreign Affairs Ministry office in Jakarta last Thursday. Based on UN data, there are currently 16,000 peacekeeping personnel deployed in conflict areas around the world.
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Law
Nur Kholis, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), was stunned by the proposal forwarded by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) last April. In a meeting held at the AGO headquarters on April 20, AGO officials presented Nur with a plan to address past human rights abuses through the creation of a Committee for Reconciliationone that, conspicuously, lacked any fact-finding undertaking.
In other countries with checkered human rights records, past rights violations have been settled through a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR). The AGO, however, said difficulty finding evidence and the deaths of the suspected perpetrators made the creation of such a KKR commission unfeasible.
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National
WHEN the sun rose on Idul Fitri, Golkar Party's Team of Ten had only completed half of its task. Over the previous three days, the team had labored to agree on candidates to run for 269 posts in the elections of regional heads (pilkada) set for December this year. "The two sides have agreed on 131 of the candidates," Lamhot Sinaga, a Team of Ten member and Golkar Deputy Secretary-General in the Agung Laksono camp, told Tempo two weeks ago.
Debate continues to fly over the remaining candidates, and neither side looks likely to budge from their favored politicians. Meanwhile, the July 26-28 deadline for registering candidates at the Regional General Election Commissions is right around the corner.
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Column
Neles Tebay
On July 17, violence exploded in Karubaga, capital of Tolikara district in Papua province. Dozens of stalls and houses were set on fire, which spread to a nearby mosque. One youth was killed and 11 civilians were injured in the shootout that followed. Let us name this incident as the 'Tolikara Case'.
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Opinion
President Joko Widodo needs to realize that his instruction to stop the illegal mining and export of tin has been ineffective. A month after the order was given, the illegal practice that costs the nation revenue, has not lessened in the slightest. There must be something wrong with the chain of command, or even indications of deliberate insubordination, if an instruction from a president can simply be ignored.
Data from the Malaysian stock exchange show there are still abundant stocks of tin, far in excess of mining output. Thailand and Singapore, which have no tin mines, are also still processing and exporting tens of thousands of tons of the commodity. It is certain that most of it has flooded in from illegal mines in Bangka-Belitung.
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Indicator
MINISTER of Bureaucratic Reform Yuddy Chrisnandi was noticeably perturbed after a meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Yuddy had just issued an instruction allowing officials to use government cars to go home for Lebaran, provided such officials lacked car of their own and paid for their own fuel. Kalla was not happy. "I used my own discretion on the matter, but later, since it was forbidden by the Vice President, I submitted," Yuddy said.
Yuddy, however, refused to retract the instruction outright. Instead, he entrusted the matter to the heads of local governments. In the end, district heads and city mayors crafted different policies.
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Letters
Where is Bogor's Regent?
After visiting my in-laws in their hometown, I imagined coming home to smooth roads. But, in reality, the roads of Ciomas remained riddled with potholes, even the one leading to the Bogor regent's private home. There has been no attempt to repair the large holes gaping on the asphalt. I cannot imagine how embarrassed the regent must be for going with his escorts from home to his office through that kind of poor roads.
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Economy
Government Regulation No. 46/2015 on Management of Retirement Resources (JHT), issued on June 30, has triggered considerable controversy. Labor groups held massive demonstrations throughout Jakarta, rejecting the regulation. This led to President Joko Widodo to order that the regulation be revised.
This new development put Elvyn G. Masassya in a spot during the recent Ramadhan month. As CEO of the Labor Social Welfare Network Board (BPJS), he has had to prepare the revisions as requested by the President. A few days before the Idul Fitri holiday, Elvyn spoke to Tempo reporters Ayu Prima Sandi and Gustidha Budiartie on the issue. Excerpts :
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Cover Story
A bloody incident exploded at Tolikara district in Papua two weeks ago. It happened when hundreds of people taking part at a seminar and an international spiritual service organized by the Indonesian Evangelical Church (GIDI), tried to disperse a number of local residents about to conduct their Idul Fitri prayers at the Tolikara Military Command field.
The incident which resulted in the burning of shopes and the Baitul Muttaqin mosque, according Tolikara Regent Usman G. Wanimbo, occurred because of police neglect. He admitted that he had suggested to Tolikara Police precinct chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Soeroso to held the community prayers elsewhere. "But he didn't listen to me," Wanimbo told Tempo reporter Maria Hasugian, when she twice interviewed him last week.
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Tempo Talks
Improving Connectivity, Boosting Cooperation
This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?
Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.
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